BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — Jared Solomon is a creature of habit. After all, he's a pitcher. So he's doing what he does best.
"I'm throwing six days a week, bullpens twice a week," Solomon said. "This is tough, where you get thrown into a windmill and you just don't know what to do, but if you can stick to your routine, it keeps you confident."
Confidence is key as he climbs the ranks in the Reds organization – from rookie ball Billings to single-A stops in Dayton and Daytona – a journey that went through Lackawanna College, and started in the small town of Millville, PA.
"I'm used to throwing in my barn," Solomon said. "I hang up a blanket and long toss into it when I didn't have a throwing partner. So to me, I wasn't too concerned about being sent back."
Luckily, the 22-year-old doesn't need to use his barn now. He's been given access to MVP Clubhouse in Columbia County. This is just a little shake-up, time to develop his fastball, slider and change-up.
"For me right now, it's the change-up," Solomon said. "I think honestly because of this extended off season, it allowed me to develop it even more."
A minor league season this year seems to be a lost cause, but that's out of his control. So in the meantime, Solomon is working on his control.
"It's a focus," Solomon said. "Command is understanding what your body does and how you move and then it's continuing to do it over and over again until you feel it."
But he can't control the situation, which is why he's thankful he hasn't been impacted by the recent, widespread cuts across the minor leagues. He still has a spot and a regular paycheck from Cincinnati.
"I think the Reds have been awesome," Solomon said. "They've been really great through all of this. The pay, that's huge. That's a huge relief on a lot of guys, myself included. Every day, someone is reaching out and saying 'what do you need? How can we help?' They continue to drive us to get better."
Something Solomon is taking to heart.